Amazon's door cam brand 'Ring' announces that it will partially abolish the video request function by police without a warrant
It has been revealed that the ` `Request for Assistance (RFA)' ' function that allows police to request video footage without a warrant, which was developed in the social service ``
Ring Announces New Neighbors App Features, Sunsets Request for Assistance Post - The Ring Blog
https://blog.ring.com/about-ring/ring-announces-new-neighbors-app-features-sunsets-request-for-assistance-post/
Victory! Ring Announces It Will No Longer Facilitate Police Requests for Footage from Users | Electronic Frontier Foundation
Ring steps back from sharing video with police — mostly - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/24/24049165/ring-police-neighbors-app-clips-search-warrant
Neighbors is a service that allows you to anonymously discuss crimes and natural disasters in your neighborhood. For example, if a burglary occurs in your neighborhood, you can alert people in the same area, or use Ring products to capture sightings of lost dogs. You can also provide it with Videos posted here can be freely viewed by law enforcement agencies, including police, only if the poster has expressly given permission to do so.
At issue here was the RFA function, which allowed police to directly request users to provide footage that could serve as evidence of a crime. This feature allowed police to ask users to voluntarily share footage without a warrant.
From now on, the RFA function will be abolished and police will have to publish a request for video footage. However, if the police determine that there is an 'emergency situation,' specifically when there is an imminent risk of death or serious bodily injury, such as kidnapping or attempted murder, the video will still be released without a warrant and without the user's consent. It looks like it will end up in the hands of the police.
Ring has faced criticism for years over its relationship with law enforcement, with reports that in 2022 there were 11 videos reportedly provided without a warrant and users' consent, leading to concerns about police and Ring's relationship with law enforcement. Problems also emerged, such as a lack of transparency regarding whether or not a situation was deemed an 'urgent' situation.
Amazon discloses customer surveillance camera footage without user permission or warrant - GIGAZINE
The Electronic Frontier Foundation, which opposes the handing over of footage without a warrant, said, ``When footage is handed over without a warrant or the user's consent, we are concerned about the ability of police and Ring to determine whether it is an emergency situation or not. 'I am still deeply skeptical about this,' he said. He said that the abolishment of RFA is a victory in the fight for privacy protection, but added that the fight is not over, as there is still the possibility that videos could be passed on without the user's permission.
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in Web Service, Hardware, Posted by log1p_kr